Sunny Hill have recently made their return with the release of their latest EP, "Midnight Circus". Originally comprised of three members (Jang Hyun, Seung Ah, and Joobi), the group revealed a fourth member named 'Kota' recently, who was a part of the 'Narsha Group' with Brown Eyed Girls' Narsha for her single, "Mamma Mia." Shortly thereafter, they added a fifth member, named 'Misung.' During their period of hiatus, the members revealed that they studied music to hone their skills as singer-songwriters. With "Midnight Circus," Sunny Hill entirely produced, composed, and wrote all the tracks. Now that their comeback is in motion, does this album live up to expectations? Well, let's pitch the circus tent, call forth the ring leader, and find out! === Track List: 01 Girl With A Accordion (Intro) 02 ???? (Puppet) 03 Midnight Circus 04 Let's Talk About (feat. ??) 05 ?? (Preview) 06 Midnight Circus (Inst.) === "Midnight Circus" really only consists of three full songs. The intro track, "Girl With A Accordion," pulls back the curtains, unveiling a soundscape of typical circus-like nuances. You hear everything from a roaring crowd, to horns and a hectic accordion line. It spotlights the mood and concept really well, and segues right into "Puppet" (Girl With A Accordion). --- Unlike the title track, "Puppet" is subdued, entrancing, and sets an uncanny atmosphere by utilizing breathy vocals and eerie melodies. Sunny Hill harbors one male singer and it definitely adds to their music when he makes occasional appearances throughout this mini album. In "Puppet", Jang Hyun's voice coyly looms among the glossy singing of his female companions. This song doesn't showcase any vocal acrobatics, yet it displays the flexibility of Sunny Hill's vocalists. One second they're whispering, the next they're whining through these lovely melodies, all while remaining on a plain level of singing. This song could have really won major kudos had it not gone overboard with the intrusive splashes of pseudo-rap lines. It cheats itself out of any proper transition between phrases and compromises the melancholy overtones. The intention seems to come from a creative place, but it doesn't quite come off as smoothly as it should have (Puppet). --- The following song is the title track, "Midnight Circus." Since this is the first single, it's only common courtesy that it features an extra dose of gimmicks as opposed to the rest of the EP. The verses are very bubbly; they're quick, and twirl off of Sunny Hill's tongues, like a young girl twisting a piece of gum around her index finger. The melodies themselves are novelty at best. But that's what gives them their charm, and with a song as hectic as this one, it may have been the only way to go. There are horns tooting, drums trilling, and just about as many nuances as there are spectacles in, well, a circus. The overall production is very crisp but very gritty. It's reminiscent of the Brown Eyed Girls' style of music (post 2009), and if you hadn't known this was Sunny Hill, you'd be convinced this was hand delivered from the four misses themselves. There's an interesting reversed section (or so it seems) near the middle eight that will have some of you reaching for holy water. It adds to the show, and somehow works with everything happening in the rest of the song. It goes without saying that Sunny Hill have quite the creative team behind them, which can only be a good thing in Korea, given the sedated state of its music industry. The next track in this line up is "Let's Talk About." Since "Midnight Circus" already slurped up all of the chaotic bells and whistles, this song tones it down a notch, and in doing so, we hear a much more controlled, yet creative song - possibly the highlight song of mini album. "Let's Talk About" is predominantly K-pop rap. It's a fun little tune that bounces from one phrase to the next relentlessly and unending. It has traces of Western glam-pop; very fun, and absolutely addictive. The production is also fabulous, in that all of the members are perfectly processed and the instrumental adds intensity and dimension without drowning the singers. One of my favorite sections happens when the song calms down and allows the featurette ?? to sing this soothing little piece before the song regains consciousness and continues delivering its controlled chaos-of a niche (Let's Talk About). --- The EP treats us to a preview of what we can assume to be a future release, titled "??." It's maddening to be teased in this way, because from listening to this mere 56 seconds of a preview, it sounds like something far more organic and melodious compared to everything on this mini album. Not much else to do but applaud Sunny Hill for successfully leaving us on our toes with this teaser (??).

=== "Midnight Circus" is a potpourri of tricks, cliches, and taboos. It's semi-dark with a dash of the very quirks that have come to define the Brown Eyed Girls under the Nega Network. There isn't much emotion here, but who needs it when you're having to endure drilling synths while simultaneously being swallowed by reverb? Not me. These songs have a life of their own. Sunny Hill have stepped back into the world of K-pop only after throwing all convention to the wind. It's true that this EP rings bells of Brown Eyed Girls, but even if Sunny Hill took a bite off of a familiar musical style, it's still a refreshing sound that K-pop simply cannot survive without. There's character here, a gorgeous use of vocal processing, and the quality is top-notch.  Coming from Leon Entertainment, I don't think I could have it any other way. If you're a fan of exciting beats, wanderlust, and bouncy pop songs, this EP is for you. — Overall Rating: 4.4/5 — What are your thoughts on this EP? — Suggestions for a future review?  Hit the author up on Twitter (@rothsresidence) or via e-mail (arnold.arteaga@allkpop.com)! — Note: This article does not reflect the opinions of allkpop, only of the author.